Poultry provide a very important food source in the form of eggs and meat. Foro the production of eggs, the poultry are commonly housed in cages. However, poultry which are raised for meat production are generally free to move about at ground level.
The raising of poultry for meat production generally takes place over an 8 or 9 week cycle in which the poultry begin the cycle as small chicks and end the cycle as young birds. Prior to the introduction of the small chicks into the poultry house at the beginning of a cycle, particulate material such as sawdust or soy bean hulls is generally laid down on the floor of the poultry house to absorb the droppings during the growing cycle. Then, after slaughter of the poultry at the end of the cycle, all or a portion of the floor covering is removed and replaced with a new covering for the start of the next cycle.
During the growing cycle, the poultry are watered and fed within the poultry house. In modern poultry raising, this is accomplished by use of a mechanical feeder and the use of individual watering devices which are positioned throughout the poultry house near the floor level. The watering devices are generally in the form of poultry drinking cups with each of the cups being connected through a water feed line fitting to a main water line. Each of the cups is, thereby, individually supplied with water with each cup serving the water needs for a relatively small number of birds.
Each poultry drinking cup is generally supplied with a valve means to control the flow of water into the cup with the valve means being preferably actuatable by the poultry. Thus, for example, each cup may contain a trigger whose movement controls the position of the valve means and the flow of water into the cup.
After a time, poultry which are watered with a drinking cup learn how to operate the cup by pecking at the trigger. The cup, thus, provides a source of water which is available on demand by the poultry. Since a single cup will only supply the water needs of a limited number of birds, the leakage of water from a single cup does not pose serious problems as would the leakage of water from an obstructed drinking trough used to supply the water needs of a relatively large number of birds.
A single poultry house may contain literally thousands of poultry drinking cups which are connected by water feed lines or fittings to a main water line. With poultry raised at ground level, as is generally the case in meat production, the ground coverings used in a poultry house provide a source of debris which may cause frequent clogging of the drinking cups.
There is no drinking cup presently available which may be used at floor level without becoming clogged after a relatively short period of time by solid debris which may be transferred to the cups by the poultry during drinking. Solid debris interferes with the movement of the trigger and the valve mechanism with the result that the valve mechanism or trigger may become stuck in an open position. With the valve mechanism or trigger stuck in an open position, a continuous flow of water will be supplied to the drinking cup which will cause the cup to overflow. In addition to wasting water, drinking cups which overflow are a problem because they create unsanitary conditions in the poultry house. For example, water which spills onto the floor may interact with the poultry droppings to promote the formation of ammonia which is irritating to the poultry and also to personnel working in the poultry house.
When the valve mechanism or trigger becomes stuck in a closed position, no water will be supplied to the drinking cup. Thus, as long as the trigger or valve mechanism remains clogged, the drinking cup will not function and will not supply the needs of poultry in the immediate area.